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Key Points
- Abuse against Muslims in Australia more than doubled between January 2023 and November 2024.
- Women accounted for 75 per cent of all Islamophobic incidents during the research period, according to the report.
- Researchers hope the statistics and stories highlighted in the report will urge politicians to take action.
Islamophobia has ‘reached crisis levels in Australia’
In total, the report estimated there were 309 in-person incidents over the study period.
The majority of Islamophobic incidents took place in NSW, followed by Victoria and Queensland, according to the report. Source: SBS News
The majority of Islamophobic incidents took place in NSW, which accounted for nearly half of the national total.
“This is the time to combat Islamophobia as the emergency it is, not attack those bearing the brunt of this searing hatred.”
Majority of victims were women and girls
Dr Susan Carland, one of the authors of the report from the School of Social Sciences at Monash University, said there’s a gendered aspect to the findings, with women accounting for 75 per cent of all victims.
Women accounted for 75 per cent of all Islamophobic incidents during the research period, according to the report. Source: SBS News
“Muslim women are having their hijabs pulled off and spat on. Muslim school children are being targeted,” Carland told reporters on Thursday.
“Those nearly 200 verbal insults included threats of murder and rape. These are distressing things that were being said to people.”
“So there are far fewer numbers of Muslim women in the workforce than Muslim men, and yet they’re still reporting three times the number of Islamophobic incidents in workplaces.”
Verbal intimidation or harassment was the most common type of Islamophobic incident recorded over the past two years, according to the report’s findings. Source: SBS News
‘We don’t leave the house unless it’s necessary’
“We don’t leave the house unless it’s necessary as we have a fear that it will happen again.”
What can change?
The report makes a number of recommendations for government, law enforcement, educators, and the media:
- Recognition of Islamophobia as a form of gender-based abuse requiring targeted intervention.
- Mandatory Islamophobia awareness training in educational settings.
- Specialised police training for responding to Islamophobia incidents.
- Media guidelines for responsible reporting on issues affecting Muslim communities.
- Public transport and retail sector bystander intervention programs.
- Dedicated funding for culturally appropriate mental health support.
“The costs of inaction are not just the continued suffering of Muslim Australians, but the erosion of Australia’s social fabric and its promise of a fair, inclusive society.”
